(A) Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a new and improved musical tube for the production of musical tones and to the combination of the musical tube with a musical reed.
(B) Description of the Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 2,637,141, there is disclosed a musical toy that comprises a cylindrical air chamber at one end of which is attached a handle for rotation of the cylinder. Internally of the air cylinder, and intermediate the ends thereof, is located a resistance or musical instrument such as a reed which causes the production of sound or music similar to a musical wind instrument, when the air cylinder is rotated in a plane.
More recently, there has been introduced a musical tube of flexible, corrugated plastic which, when swung around in the air, produces an agreeable warbling howl. Such a musical tube is disclosed in published German Patent Application Ser. No. 2,121,568. Tubes of the type disclosed in the German Patent Application, except that they do not have a separate and distinct handle portion as disclosed therein, have been available commercially for some time in various colors and, at least, some of them are manufactured of polyethylene. The musical tubes of which I am aware are uniformly corrugated, with the ridges and grooves of the corrugations lateral to the tube length, are light in weight, pliant, and measure an inch and a quarter in diameter and are about a yard long.
When swung around in the air, these flexible, corrugated tubes produce musical tones in the harmonic series, the particular note produced varying with the length of the tube. The notes ascend in pitch as the corrugated tube is swung harder and harder. There are some persons that have even mastered the instrument to the point that they can play a tune on it. The musical tones result, apparently, because air is sucked into the tube at the relatively immobile end being held and as it passes through the tube twoard the swinging end bounces off the non-smooth corrugated surface. The bouncing air sets up a standing wave which at certain frequencies plays the natural modes of the tube or the harmonic overtone series, the same notes that are on a bugle.
Various musical tones are produced, as above-indicated, by swinging the tube slower or faster, e.g., by swinging the musical tube very slowly, a low clear steady tone results. Swinging the musical tube at faster speeds creates other notes. The pitch is roughly translated into bumps per second. Doubling the velocity, i.e., by swinging the tube faster, raises the pitch an octave. With different lengths of corrugated tube, the pitch is raised and the modes changed. Accordingly, persons with different lengths of musical tube can create a musical group.
A disadvantage with the corrugated musical tubes such as are now commercially available, of which I am aware, is that they produce a rather muffled sound. As a matter of fact, the sound at times is so faint as to be almost inaudible. The reason for this, I have discovered, is because the ends of the musical tubes are either closed, or at least partially closed, e.g., the ends are of the more narrow diameter, i.e., the diameter of the valley of the corrugations, rather than of the larger diameter, as defined by the ridges of the corrugations. Thus, by cutting the closed or partially closed ends of a commercially available musical tube so that the ends terminate at the apex of the ridge of a corrugation, a much more distinct and louder musical tone is produced on swinging. However, it is important to achieve this desired result that both ends of the musical tube be of this larger diameter.
A further disadvantage of the corrugated musical tubes now available commercially is that each particular, corrugated plastic tube is limited in the number of musical tones or sounds that can be produced. This results from the fact that the musical sounds resulting from any particular musical tube are predetermined by the particular length of tube.
Another disadvantage with musical tubes of which I am aware is that one end of the tube is slightly harder, i.e., less pliant, than the other. This results from the manner of manufacture of these tubes, i.e., by the blow molding process. The result is that, in the event one swings the musical tube by the relatively soft tube end, the tube breaks, after a while, intermediate the two ends but somewhat closer to the softer end being held. When this results, the musical tube is no longer useful and must be discarded. Moreover, as the break occurs during use, it presents a somewhat unsafe situation in that the tube end may become detached and fly through the air and hit an innocent bystander.
It has also been discovered that as the corrugated musical tubes now commercially available, at least of which I am aware, do not have predesignated in their construction a specific handle portion, users tend to cover over the end of the musical tube while holding it during use. This is particularly unsatisfactory as the tube operates by air being sucked into the tube, as above mentioned, at the end being held. Accordingly, if the end of the tube is closed off, even in part, by one's hand or palm, it does not produce the musical sounds intended.